Gould learned taxidermy at Windsor Castle, where his father was
foreman of gardeners. In 1827 he became taxidermist to the Zoological
Society of London. The arrival in 1830 of a collection of exotic
bird skins from the Himalayas enabled him to produce the first
of many folio volumes, A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains
(1831-32). Gould's sketches were transferred to the lithographer's
stone by his wife, the former Elizabeth Coxon, whose artistic
talents were to enhance many of his works until her death in
1841. The five-volume Birds of Europe (1832-37) and Monograph
of the Ramphastidae (Toucans) (1834) were so successful that
the Goulds were able to spend two years (1838-40) in Australia,
where they made a large collection of birds and mammals. The
collection resulted in Gould's most famous work, The Birds of
Australia, 7 vol. (1840-48; supplements 1851-69), and in Mammals
of Australia, 3 vol. (1845-63). He was elected Fellow of the
Royal Society in 1843.

Gould's lifetime work comprised more
than 40 volumes, with more than 3,000 coloured plates. His many
scientific papers, mostly devoted to descriptions of new species,
established his professional reputation, but he is best known
today for his folios.